Nia slates Minister’s waste of money

Nia Griffith MP has slated the Tory Secretary of State for Wales for wasting money, not once, but now a second time by picking legal quarrels with the Welsh government. In a Parliamentary debate, initiated by Paul Flynn MP and highlighted by ITV Wales’ Sharp End programme, Nia said, ” It was bad enough wasting £150,000 last year, challenging the Welsh Government on its powers – a challenge which was unanimously thrown out by the five Supreme Court judges. They confirmed that the Welsh Government did indeed have the powers to pass the much – needed bye law legislation, making it easier for councils to make local bye laws. Now the Tory Ministers in Westminster are using the same tactics to block the Welsh Government’ s plans to keep in Wales a successor to the Agricultural Wages Board, which the Tories have abolished in England. The Board sets a range of Wages levels appropriate to different levels of work, and is valued for its guidance by many in rural Wales including the Farmers Union of Wales The Secretary of State knew ages ago that the Welsh Government intended to keep the AWB, and any concerns about the Welsh Government’s powers should have been sorted out through dialogue with the Welsh Government. Making another challenge in court will waste yet more money, and is symptomatic of this Secretary of State’s disparaging attitude towards Welsh Government and the views of people in Wales.”